Urban Dweller

Message from the President

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the June edition of the Urban Dweller. Summer is in full swing with many events, social gatherings, and ample opportunities to celebrate all that is wonderful in Denver and the greater Capitol Hill community.

The 47th Annual Capitol Hill People's Fair was a terrific success. Thank you to all who attended and dropped by our booth. It was great seeing so many new, and familiar, faces at the event.

Congratulations to our friends and nonprofit partners at the GLBT Community Center of Colorado for organizing another fantastic Pride Fest. June is Pride Month and this event celebrates the diversity that makes Denver a welcoming, inclusive community.

Many thanks to all who volunteered, donated funds, or attended the Govnr's Park Beer Fest. Because of you, CHUN raised more than $3000. Special shout out to Jeanne Puerta, Mark Cossin, Lindsey Burleson, Georgia Burleson, Shirley Howson, Kevin Kelly, Molly Williams, Frank Butz, and Rachel Griffin for their volunteerism and making this event a tremendous success.

Save the Dates for these upcoming events: Lala's Movie Under the Moon (8/1/2018 at 6pm in Governor's Park); the 11th Annual CHUN Wine Tasting (9/12/2018 at 5:30 pm at the Tears-McFarlane House located at 1290 Williams Street). Proceeds from both events benefit Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods.

​​Congratulations to our friends and neighbors at Warren Villagefor securing a $1 million grant from United Airlines. With this incredibly generous gift, Warren Village will be able to help more low-income and single-parent families become self-sufficient.

Our board of delegates adopted two resolutions this month encouraging the city to (1) expand recycling and composting programs and (2) to explore incentives/funding mechanisms to encourage participation in such programs. We encourage the Denver City Council and Mayor Hancock to position Denver as a leaders in waste reduction, recycling, and composting initiatives.

Finally, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods' formalized our partnership with City Street Investors this month. Together, we will begin the necessary work to transform the historic Tears-McFarlane House located at the north end of Cheesman Park. The house and property has been the home for CHUN, as well as many other nonprofits and small businesses, for several years. We are excited to work with the same group that transformed historic jewels like Larimer Square, Union Station, and others to create a revitalized, vibrant space for the community. We will keep you updated as this project moves forward.

As we look to July, have a safe and happy Independence Day.

Warmly, Travis

President, Board of Delegates Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods

Business Member of the Month: Premier Ventures

Premier Ventures--owners of Lala's, Govnr's Park Tavern, and other local favorites--has been a longstanding business member and generous supporter of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods. Through their annual Beer Fest, Movie Night in the Park, and other special events, we have raised more than $25,000 in recent years. If you have not been to one of these great restaurants, please check them out. Eat. Drink. and Support Premier Ventures! They are a great champion for our neighborhoods!

Good Times ... With More to Come!

Hundreds of Beer Enthusiasts join CHUN for Annual Beer Fest

The Govnr's Park Beer Fest and Fundraiser featured lots of beer, fun, and winners! With scores of different brews being showcased and some fantastic prizes offered, the event foamed over with excitement. Thanks to Premier Ventures for sponsoring it and for their generosity, once again, in selecting Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, the event's beneficiary.

Hazel Miller took the stage Saturday afternoon with a musical tribute to CHUN's former Executive Director, Roger Armstrong, who died last October.

47th Annual Capitol Hill People's Fair

​The sun gods smiled on Denver for 2018 People's Fair. The fair got off to a great start with a concert on Friday evening, generously sponsored by prAna. This year the music, refreshments and fun were supplemented by community fitness events. This year the CHUN booth featured reproductions of some historic People's Fair posters. They're a premium for new CHUN memberships--our way of saying "thank you" for supporting your registered neighborhood organization. The People's Fair is a Capitol Hill tradition, and so much fun that we're already looking forward to next year.

Beat the Heat with Cool Treats at Sweet Cooie's on July 11

​Join CHUN at Sweet Cooie’s Ice Cream at 12th and Madison for on Wednesday, July 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. There will be a drawing at the event for a free Sweet Couie’s ice cream social.. You must be present to win. We also are planning to have live music. Sweet Cooie's has some of the best ice cream around, and they have been a great addition to the Congress Park Neighborhood. This event has been organized by CHUN's Congress Park neighborhood delegates and is open to all.

Slow Down and Stop for August 25 Traffic Calming Demonstration

​CHUN and WalkDenver are teaming up for a pop-up traffic calming demonstration on August 25th. Neighbors at 13th Ave. between Marion and Lafayette Streets have been concerned about the speed of the one-way traffic on 13th Ave. and the number of accidents at the two intersections. Stop by that day and see how slower traffic could impact the safety in that area.

Attend the City's Annual State of the City Address and Community Cookout

Scores of Events Celebrate Denver and the Mile High Spirit

Find out more about what's going on around town and how you can schedule your own hyperlocal event, such as a block party or picnic.

City Announces Dockless Scooter Pilot Program

As part of Denver's commitment to embrace and test new and better ways to deploy technology, Denver Public Works (DPW) is initiating a new one-year Dockless Mobility Vehicle Pilot Permit Program. The goals of the program include:

Implement programs that respect safety and infrastructure

Increase the percentage of people who have access to and take public transit

Provide accurate communication and guidance to public users of these services

Scale new services and fleet sizes responsibly based on performance metrics

Integrate new innovations seamlessly with the City’s existing transportation system

Serve the communities that are most vulnerable while increasing their access to smart technology and new opportunities

As a vehicle to expedite the launch of a pilot program for dockless vehicles, DPW is utilizing its existing Transit Amenity Program (TAP) to permit the placement of amenities at transit stops to encourage the use of public transportation.

The intent of the Pilot Program is to enhance the use of transit and bus service throughout the city. Vehicles are to be readily available at transit and bus stops in the public right of way. Denver Public Works expects operators to “rebalance” vehicles to transit stops to ensure availability.

According to current City and County of Denver Ordinance and State Law, e-scooters are classified as “toy vehicles” and will be required to operate on the sidewalk. Watch speeds and yield to pedestrians at all times.

Where you should NOT ride e-scooters, per the law

Streets

Striped, protected or otherwise designated bike lanes

Parks and trails

16th Street Mall

Riders of bicycles and e-bikes should follow existing rules.

How to park dockless bikes and scooters

Do not block the movements of pedestrians and always provide 5’ clear width

Park against buildings (not impeding pedestrian access) or at least 1.5’ from the back of curb/flowline

Preserve pedestrian sight triangles at intersections, alleys, and driveways as well as to bus/light rail operations at stops

Vehicles should be upright when parked

City Parks Liquor Policy Public Hearing - July 11

Notice is hereby given that the Department of Parks and Recreation for the City & County of Denver has proposed revisions to the Alcohol Policy as of June 15, 2018. The intent of the proposed revisions is to simplify the policy, provide more clarity to permit holders and park users, and add consistency for permitted events. In addition, the proposed revisions are intended to allow for the public consumption of wine and beer in Denver parks, to address the change in state law effective January 2019.

Upcoming - August 7 Community Meeting on Sidewalks

In the 2018 budget the mayor included millions for a fund to help residential property owners with sidewalk repair in Denver. Details are still being worked out, but Capitol Hill is at the top of the list and a community meeting to launch the program is being planned for August 7. Read more about the program.

DPS Makes Changes to School Performance Guidelines

The Denver Board of Education met recently and determined that the current School Performance Compact (SPC) policy guidelines will not be applied for the 2018-19 school year, based on its reflections on past learnings and given the community conversations that will soon launch.

In light of the recently-announced plan to launch community-wide conversations to deepen DPS’ thinking about what student and school success looks like and how the district should design support and accountability structures with those factors in mind, both for schools and central teams, the board felt it was important to adjust the guidelines while engaging in a deep listening process.We have heard from our community about the importance of these community conversations, and we very much look forward to hearing community views here.

The broad guidelines for policy implementation will be:

Schools (both charter and district-run) that are rated red on the 2018 SPF will present to the board regarding their ongoing or planned improvement strategies and their planned or needed supports, along with a presentation of their improvement goals over time.

The district will provide a data dashboard for each red school (both charter and district-run) that includes culture and operational data, along with academic data.

The Portfolio Management Team will complete the regularly-scheduled renewal process for all charter schools whose contracts are up for renewal in 2018-19.

Sharp declines in the number of school-aged children in certain areas of our city are expected to continue, so enrollment considerations will continue to play a role in the board’s decisions about schools, as recommended by the Strengthening Neighborhoods Initiative.

DPS will continue to work to ensure schools have healthy enrollment that makes it possible to offer students robust programming in a manner that promotes greater socioeconomic integration.

What is the School Performance Compact?

This policy sets out a clear process for how DPS will identify the most persistently low-performing schools, both district-run and charter.

When schools do not meet expectations for academic growth and achievement on their school report card, the School Performance Framework, DPS provides support to help them get back on track.

If schools are still not able to show improvement after significant support efforts over time, we believe that the students served by these schools deserve a major change in their learning environment.

The board intends for the engagement to be a sustained effort over multiple months, with opportunities for reflection in between various stages of the process. You can watch for more information about the district's new engagement effort in our newsletters and on dpsk12.org.

Save the Date: Dora Moore School PTSA House Tour Returns

The House Tour is back! Join us Sunday October 21st from 10a.m. to 4p.m. Ticketing will begin in late August via the Dora Moore website and the 9th and Corona King Soopers. Want your house to be on the tour this year?

A Good Neighbor: The Harm Reduction Center

We got this email recently from Lisa Raville, executive director at the Harm Reduction Center. We thought you'd be interested:

Dear Friends ... Just wanted to share with you our June neighborhood clean up efforts from today. It continues to be a great way to get folks involved in our community and invest in the health/safety of our neighborhood. As you know, we take being a good neighbor very seriously!! The volunteers cleaned up the north side of the Capitol to 20th between Sherman and Logan (especially the alleys). Every month they will pick another area to focus on in our neighborhood. Also, we have quite a few interns this summer, so in addition to these monthly clean ups, they will be going out every Wednesday afternoon providing neighborhood/syringe clean up efforts, as well. Please let me know if you have a specific area you would like them to focus on. Thanks, Lisa

Thank you, Lisa, and your volunteers and interns at the Harm Reduction Center.

Walking Down Memory Lane

Looking through the old CHUN files, one of our sharp-eyed board volunteers, Kevin Kelly, came up with this old edition of the Urban Dweller from 2004. Back then our executive director was Tom Knorr and the Capitol Hill People's Fair was in its 33rd year. CHUN keeps working on its mission: Preserve the past, improve the present and plan for the future.

CHUN Committee Reports

Zoning, Transportation, Land Use and Licensing Discussion with Charlotte Pitt, Denver’s Recycling Program Manager

Denver is at 22% compared to national 34% participation rate for recycling

Neighborhoods in CHUN boundaries are reported as doing above the city average participation rate; 99% of residents in CHUN’s boundaries have asked to participate in recycling compared the 75% of residents in the whole city.

Dumpsters were eliminated & Charlotte reported that CHUN’s advocacy in 2016 influenced Solid Waste’s policy to set the 65 gallon trash bin as the standard instead of 95 gallon bin.

Charlotte reported that 250 lbs. of household waste was diverted and 10,000 tons have been reduced from the waste stream over the past year.

City of Denver Traffic Engineers Presentation‐ postponed to August Meeting

RTD District A Director presentation‐ postponed to August Meeting

​Historic Preservation Committee Meeting

Kara Hahn of the Landmark Preservation Committee staff discussed with the committee the advisory committee that is studying whether to recommend possible changes to the landmark preservation ordinance, first passed in 1967. Some City Council members who were newly elected in 2015 asked for a better understanding of the ordinance and also preservation policies. The landmark staff assembled a task force to study these items. Apparently no representatives of neighborhood organizations were appointed to the task force. The task force has had 3 meetings, but has not yet recommended any changes. They will be studying best practices from other cities. Kara will keep our committee informed of recommendations that will be made to City Council in a few months. Committee members recommended that changes that should be considered include the issue of emphasizing reuse and sustainability as opposed to sending demolished construction materials to the landfill and a possible method to certify contractors trained in preservation practices.

John Olson of Historic Denver, Inc., described the draft application prepared by HD for individual landmark designation of 670 Marion Street, the Meyer-Reed Muraglia Home, which is a very large home, with a series of prominent owners and very distinctive architectural style, known as the Shingle Style. The Committee vote to recommend to the CHUN board that CHUN should support the application when it is presented to the Landmark Commission and to City Council.

John Olson also updated the committee about the status of the proposal by the owner and another developer-partner to make significant changes to the ordinance designating Larimer Square as Denver’s first historic district, which was discussed at our committee’s meeting in April. The owner and developer have “paused” the proposal and have appointed their own advisory committee to recommend how to generate funds to cover major needed maintenance costs. The committee has met once and will probably meet 3 more times. It is not clear whether the public is welcome to the meetings.

Committee Member Jude Aiello discussed her continuing interest in utilizing one of the green squares along the Park Avenue Historic District as a community garden under the wing of Denver Urban Gardens. She intends to contact the adjoining registered neighborhood organizations to determine if they approve and if they are interested in helping.

It was announced that the “ground-breaking” at Tammen Hall will be held on June 26. CHUN filed a successful application, prepared by Nancy Widmann, for landmark designation of the 1930 former nurse’s dormitory of Children’s Hospital.

It was announced that a contract to purchase the business block at 1401 Ogden and another fine building at 1457 Ogden has fallen through and they are back on the market looking for preservation-minded buyers.

Kiely Wilson of Pando Holdings, which owns the structures on the 1600 half-block of East Colfax (formerly Fanny’s Corner) and the large parking lot south of the structures (both in the Wyman Historic District) attended the meeting to listen. He will be invited back to the committee to discuss the company’s plans for the parcels.

More than 50 people gathered on June 26 to celebrate the symbolic “ground-breaking” at the front door of Tammen Hall at the southeast corner of East 19th Avenue and Ogden. The historic landmark building is being re-developed by MGL Partners into 49 affordable apartments for low-income seniors.

Built in 1930, the building was originally a nurse’s dormitory for Children’s Hospital and was designated a historic landmark in 2003, based on an application written by Nancy Widmann and filed by Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods with the support of Children’s. When Children’s Hospital decided to move its main campus from the Uptown neighborhood and sell the campus to a private developer and, later, to St. Joseph Hospital, ideas for re-using the building included a boutique hotel and a medical office building. The Great Recession of 2008 greatly complicated and delayed the re-use of the building.

An additional challenge involved the restoration of the beautiful murals by Allan Tupper True, Colorado’s finest muralist, depicting noble Native Americans, which were on the wall of the nurse’s library, later converted to the board room for Children’s Hospital. The murals were removed from the building when Children’s relocated, were conserved at the expense of Children’s and will be re-installed in the first-floor community room when the apartment-building opens in about 2 years.

​Many speakers at the “ground-breaking” credited the collaboration of Children’s, St. Joseph, the neighborhood organizations, MGL Partners, Neenan Construction, the City of Denver and several finance organizations to bring this very complicated project to fruition. St. Joseph Hospital’s CEO Jamie Smith may have described it best by saying that the building was originally seen as an “albatross” around the neck of St. Joseph, but that the hospital eventually realized that it was a “gem” for St. Joseph and the neighborhood.

A poster showing the restored Allan True murals was displayed at the Tammen Hall groundbreaking.

Public Meetings

Public Hearing regarding the property at 1025 Monroe Street (part of 1031 Monroe Street) - appeal of a Cease and Desist Order for a garage built not according to approved plans and with the variance granted in BOA Case #2-18. Hearing to be held on July 10th at 10 AM at the Wellington Webb Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Avenue, 2nd Floor Tower Hearing Room, 2.H.14. Contact Denver Board of Adjustment regarding Case No. 75-18 for more information (720-913-3052).

ZPIN notice regarding front and rear yard fencing at 1663 Race Street (located in the Wyman Historic District). Portions of rear fence may extend up to 8 feet in height. Front fence is proposed to be a 4 foot tall ornamental iron. Comments are due by July 10th. Contact Associated City Planner Jennifer Cervera at jennifer.cervera@denvergov.org for more information.​ZPIN notice regarding the property at 1520 Marion Street. The proposal is for a zoning permit application to establish a small residential care use for transitional housing. Comments are due by August 1st. Contact Associate City Planner Steve Elkins at stephen.elkins@denvergov for more information and to comment on the proposal.

Urban Dweller

is published monthly by Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, Inc. 1290 Williams Street, Ste. 102 Denver, CO 80218-2657 and is distributed to all Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods members via email. ​​Questions, comments or article suggestions.